Combined Statistical Area

Combined Statistical Area. A Combined Statistical Area is a United States Office of Management and Budget designation for a United States geographical region that consists of multiple core based statistical areas adjacent to one another. These areas are typically centered around a large metropolitan area, such as New York City or Los Angeles, and may include surrounding micropolitan areas like Ithaca, New York or Santa Fe, New Mexico. The concept of a Combined Statistical Area is used by the United States Census Bureau to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the economic and social relationships between different regions, including Albany, New York, Binghamton, New York, and Johnson City, New York.

Introduction

The concept of a Combined Statistical Area was first introduced by the United States Office of Management and Budget in 2003, as a way to recognize the economic and social ties between adjacent core based statistical areas. This designation is used to identify regions that are economically integrated, but may not be part of the same metropolitan area, such as San Jose, California and San Francisco, California. Combined Statistical Areas are often used for regional planning and economic development purposes, and may include cities like Chicago, Illinois, Houston, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona. The United States Census Bureau uses Combined Statistical Areas to provide data on population growth, economic indicators, and social characteristics for regions like Dallas, Texas, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C..

Definition_and_Usage

A Combined Statistical Area is defined as a region that consists of two or more adjacent core based statistical areas that have a high degree of economic and social integration. These areas are typically centered around a large metropolitan area, such as Atlanta, Georgia or Boston, Massachusetts, and may include surrounding micropolitan areas like Gainesville, Georgia or Worcester, Massachusetts. The United States Office of Management and Budget uses a set of criteria to determine whether two or more core based statistical areas should be combined into a single Combined Statistical Area, including factors like commuting patterns, economic ties, and social relationships between cities like Denver, Colorado, Kansas City, Missouri, and St. Louis, Missouri. Combined Statistical Areas are used by a variety of organizations, including government agencies like the Federal Reserve, non-profit organizations like the Brookings Institution, and private companies like IBM and Google, to analyze data on regions like Minneapolis, Minnesota, Cleveland, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Types_of_Combined_Statistical_Areas

There are several types of Combined Statistical Areas, including metropolitan and micropolitan areas. Metropolitan areas are typically larger and more urban, while micropolitan areas are smaller and more rural, like Boise, Idaho and Spokane, Washington. Combined Statistical Areas may also include megaregions, which are large networks of metropolitan areas that are economically integrated, such as the Northeast Megalopolis or the California Megaregion, which include cities like Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, and Sacramento, California. The United States Office of Management and Budget also recognizes combined statistical areas that cross state lines, such as the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV Combined Statistical Area, which includes cities like Baltimore, Maryland, Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Richmond, Virginia.

List_of_Combined_Statistical_Areas

There are currently 172 Combined Statistical Areas in the United States, according to the United States Office of Management and Budget. These areas include regions like the New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area, the Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA Combined Statistical Area, and the Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI Combined Statistical Area, which include cities like Jersey City, New Jersey, Anaheim, California, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Other notable Combined Statistical Areas include the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK Combined Statistical Area, the Houston-The Woodlands, TX Combined Statistical Area, and the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD Combined Statistical Area, which include cities like Fort Worth, Texas, The Woodlands, Texas, and Camden, New Jersey.

Core_Based_Statistical_Areas

Core Based Statistical Areas are the building blocks of Combined Statistical Areas. These areas are defined as a core of densely populated urban territory, surrounded by a commuting zone of adjacent territory that has a high degree of economic and social integration with the core, like Des Moines, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska. Core Based Statistical Areas may be either metropolitan or micropolitan, depending on the size and characteristics of the core and the commuting zone, such as Nashville, Tennessee and Knoxville, Tennessee. The United States Office of Management and Budget uses a set of criteria to define Core Based Statistical Areas, including factors like population size, population density, and commuting patterns between cities like Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Metropolitan_and_Micropolitan_Statistical_Areas

Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas are two types of Core Based Statistical Areas. Metropolitan statistical areas are typically larger and more urban, with a core population of at least 50,000, like San Diego, California and Tampa, Florida. Micropolitan statistical areas are smaller and more rural, with a core population of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000, such as Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and Bend, Oregon. Both metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas are used to analyze data on population growth, economic indicators, and social characteristics for regions like Raleigh, North Carolina, Austin, Texas, and Salt Lake City, Utah. The United States Census Bureau provides data on metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, including information on demographics, housing, and economic conditions for cities like Providence, Rhode Island, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Fresno, California.